The KRAS-variant is one of the first discovered members of a new class of genetic markers that predict increased cancer risk and unique treatment response to cancer therapy. The biology of the KRAS-variant affords great promise for both preventing and curing cancer in individuals with this inherited mutation.

Currently, there are no biomarkers applied before radiation therapy treatment to identify patients who have different sensitivities to radiation therapy. As this treatment is used in over 67% of cancer patients there is a strong need to make strides towards personalizing radiotherapy. MiraDx is developing a panel of such biomarkers, using their novel, proprietary germ-line, functional biomarkers, such as the KRAS-variant.

The KRAS-variant is a biomarker that alone has been shown to significantly predict sensitivity and resistance to specific cancer treatments, regardless of tumor type. This information can subgroup patients into responders or non-responders to therapies being used today. In addition, recent work has shown that the KRAS-variant is a strong biomarker of baseline immune status and inflammatory response. This has led us to apply the KRAS-variant and a panel of biomarkers like it to developing immunotherapies. MiraDx currently has found a powerful panel of biomarkers predicting toxicity to anti-PD1 or anti-PDL1 therapy.

As shown in numerous independent studies, women with the KRAS-variant are at an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and multiple primary breast cancer. Recent data now indicates that changing estrogen levels, specifically estrogen withdrawal, can trigger cancer in women with the KRAS-variant. Knowing a woman’s KRAS-variant status is an additional piece of critically important information to help direct decisions for estrogen management, as well as primary and secondary cancer screening.